Industry insights, market outlook reports and commercial real estate
news, and trends from the Coldwell
Banker Commercial brand.
While big investors like General Growth Properties and Simon Property Group are shifting their focus to prime properties in desirable locations —those that offer heavy foot traffic and are command the attention of high-end retailers— doors are opening for smaller investors who believe in the value of second-tier malls.
The last couple of years have seen growing participation in the U.S. commercial market by international investors. This can be attributed in part to the relative strength of the U.S economy, and the transparency of transactions here.
The U.S. population saw overall growth of 9.7% in the years between 2000 and 2010, but growth in urban areas was higher, at 12.1%. Urbanization is a significant feature of growth around the world, and has considerable impact on commercial real estate.
To best appeal to international clients, you need to have some understanding of the culture and conditions in the target country. Creating content that is accessible to international prospects may involve setting up a website in the native language, or at least providing a translation feature.
Some of the U.S. restrictions on foreign investment in real estate were considerably eased at the end of 2015. This is likely to boost the already high volume of international CRE transactions in the coming years.